With a sharp wit and a wonderful ability to go off prompter, Anderson Cooper has firmly established himself as more than just a news anchor. In fact, one could argue he was actually better in his two year stint hosting the underseen game show The Mole than as a serious journalist. That’s, of course, no shot at his abilities as a journalist, but there’s something to be said for how easily he adapted to the world of popular culture. It’ll serve him well at his new job.
According to Deadline, plans for Cooper’s new syndicated daytime talk show are swinging into gear. The still-untitled program has been sold to Fox affiliates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston with scores of other major cities likely to follow. The New York-based series will primarily be geared toward women, who have historically cornered the daytime viewership numbers.
While Cooper has agreed to stay on at CNN for at least another three years, it wouldn’t surprise me if this new syndicated talk show ended up being his primary career focus. His handsome good looks and pristine silver hair speak of his upperclass time at Yale, but his polite smile and easy, unassuming voice channel the proper understanding needed to connect to viewers on a lighter, more sympathetic level. Look for it to begin crushing sometime in the Fall of 2011.
